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Special Six: A Day in Ho Chi Minh City

Following our visit to Hanoi, my friends and I traveled to Ho Chi Minh city where we spent 24 hours in the city. We fitted this day in between our travel to Hanoi and Siem Reap because one of my friends had Saigon on her travel wish list. While we did not have sufficient time there to explore much nor go on the Mekong delta cruise, which I was keen on, we did have a lovely day in the city where the traffic, especially that of scooters, at junctions is crazy. I mean that literally.

These are my special six highlights that I would recommend for anyone traveling to Ho Chi Minh city for a day.

Walk through the Old French quarter starting from Notre Dame Cathedral and ending at the Opera House. The stretch of road we liked best was Dong Khoi street, which is filled with fashionable boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants. We spent a lot of time at several of the shops on this street as I was travelling with two shopaholics. My shopping recommendation is to buy some beautiful silk scarves and shawls at Khai silk at 81 Dong Khoi. I did most of my gift shopping here.

Side view of Notre Dame Cathedral

Central post office

Municipal Theatre/ Saigon Opera House

Eat at Nha Hang Ngon at 160 Pasteur, which is close to Dong Khoi Street. We met up with a former colleague and friend living in Ho Chi Minh city at this restaurant, which she recommended for local Vietnamese cuisine. We especially enjoyed the rice paper wrapped spring rolls here.

Visit War Remnants Museum. Any first visit to Ho Chi Minh city needs to include a visit to this museum. I am not keen on war memorials or museums but we decided to visit this museum to learn a little about the Vietnam war from the Vietnamese government perspective. The museum will make you emotional and some photo exhibits are too gruesome to watch. We left the museum pretty much drained of energy.

Read The Sorrow of War (original title – The Destiny of Love) by Bao Ninh and translated into English by Frank Palmos, over some coffee at a local café or at an international chain like Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Or, just relax and enjoy the coffee there and read the book after your visit like I did. Bao Ninh, was part of a 500 member youth brigade during the Vietnam war and one of the ten in his brigade who survived the war. The book’s protagonist is a 17 year old youth, Kien, who goes to war with ideals and a dream of a happy future with the love of his life and fellow-classmate, when he returns from the war. The novel takes you through the abrupt memories of Kien and is basically his lament of his twice lost love and the human cost of war and what he terms the lost generation. The book won The Independent’s Best Foreign book prize in 1994.

Explore Bui Vien Street’s night life and cheap eats and get a custom made ao dai stitched overnight for you at one of the tiny tailor’s shops on the street. I am not sure we would have visited this famous backpacker street, if we were not staying at Beautiful Saigon in this neighbourhood. We soon realized that this place was one busy place in the night with crowds of travelers frequenting the eateries lining the street and shops open late into the night.

Browse through Ben Thanh market for cheap souvenirs and street food. While the current Ben Thanh market structure is an early 20th century construction, the site has been known for its street market commercial activity since the 17th century. It is an interesting place to visit.

I like the sound of those spring rolls and a walk through the French Quarter! Vietnam has been on my travel wishlist for ages. I shall console myself with reading your blog posts instead… #citytripping

I love old French areas in their former colonies…so interesting to see how the heritage of conquerors is or isn’t preserved! I know if I ever do make a SE Asia trip, it will be to French-speaking countries, so this a great guide! #citytripping

Thank you, Christy, I am sure you will enjoy the French colonial architecture in Vietnam, though I don’t think you will be able to speak French with most of the Vietnamese people you come across while traveling. English seems to be widely spoken though.

Vietnam has been on my list forever and still have not been..these all sound great but I know I’d love the markets and the food – oh the food, I can only imagine how incredible it must be! #citytripping

Vietnam is definitely on my bucket list – there are other parts i’d prefer to visit but I think Ho Chi Minh City would need to be on the itinerary as well to really get a feel for the country. #citytripping

I never got as far south as HCM city on my trip to Vietnam but you’ve taken me there in pictures Ahila. How wonderful. As you know, I am obsessed with Vietnamese food and culture so it would not take too much encouragement to get me back there. I have seen ‘Uncle Ho’ lying in state in Hanoi however and that was a little bit strange!

I really want to visit Ho Chi Minh City… We were due to go last year but had to cancel after my husbnd got ill. It strikes me as a place you just have to experience with its crazy traffic, food and history. The book sounds fascinating too…only 10 survivors from 500. War is so brutal. Thanks for linking to #citytripping

HCM city has an interesting and vibrant vibe that you will surely enjoy when you do visit. Yes, I found the book deeply moving though I did initially keep putting it down after a page or two several times because the flow is quite choppy. I am glad I persevered because it is a well-written war story from a human perspective, not political perspective, and therefore universal. It also felt as if the story, or parts of it, was that of the author’s himself.

I have wanted to visit Vietnam for the longest time ever. Here in Southern California the Vietnamese influence is huge. Our local pho place has a big picture of the Central Post Office in their dining room.

I’d so love to visit Vietnam and the more I read about it the longer the trip would need to be… I’d really like to turn up and wander for a month with no fixed itinerary… life at the moment wouldn’t suit that with too many kids in school… but one day….

GPSmyCity

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